More than half expect a monthly salary above €2,000 gross, while only 7% state that the salary is not the main factor for changing jobs, CVMarket.lv representatives report.
More than half expect a monthly salary above €2000 gross, while only 7% say that salary is not the main factor for changing jobs
A recent CVMarket.lv survey reveals that job seekers in Latvia are less and less willing to change jobs without a significant salary increase. Of those survey participants who are currently employed, 71.7% stated that they would consider changing jobs if the new salary was at least 21% higher than the current one.
Regardless of employment status, 61.5% of survey participants indicated that they would need at least a 21% salary increase to be motivated to change jobs.
Small paychecks may not be enough
The results clearly show that small salary gains are no longer a sufficient reason to change jobs. Only 1.4% of respondents said they would change jobs for a salary increase of up to 5%, while 6.8% would consider switching to another job for a 6-10% increase.
The most frequently chosen answer was 21-30% salary increase indicated by 24.2% of respondents. At the same time, a significant number of job seekers expect an even higher increase: 21.6% indicated that they would need a 31-50% higher salary, while 15.8% would change jobs only if the salary increase reached 50% or more.
“These results show very clearly that the wishes of employees are currently ambitious. People are not ready to change jobs because of a small salary increase – they expect a significant financial benefit,” commented Kristaps Kolosovs, CVMarket.lv business development manager.
Typical expected salary in the next job: around 2000-2499 € gross.
When answering the question about the desired gross monthly salary in the next job, the range 1500-1999 € was most often chosen, which was indicated by 28.5% of the respondents.
At the same time, the data shows that the desires also go much higher. More than half of the survey participants expect at least €2,000 gross per month in their next role, and almost a third aim for €2,500 or more. Only a very small percentage of respondents indicated that they would be satisfied with a salary below €1,000 gross per month.
Based on the distribution of responses, the typical (median) expected salary for the next job is €2,000-€2,499 gross per month.
“We see that the desired salary in Latvia is high, in every case higher than the existing average salary. Job seekers evaluate offers much more carefully and more and more often compare not only the positions themselves, but also how competitive the salary is,” added Kolosovs.
Although salary is a major reason for changing jobs, most candidates consider other aspects as well. 41.7% of respondents indicated that they would definitely consider changing jobs mainly because of higher pay, while 51.4% admitted that their decision would also depend on additional considerations. Only 6.9% indicated that salary was not the main reason when considering a job change.
While pay remains a central issue, it shows that employers must also compete on aspects such as flexibility, working environment and career development opportunities.
According to CVMarket.lv data, the results reflect more pragmatic thinking among job seekers. Candidates have clearer preferences and are less willing to change jobs without a clear benefit.
“It’s not enough to offer a ‘better opportunity’ or ‘competitive salary’ in a general sense. Candidates are very specific about their desired salary level, which means that the competition for talent increasingly starts directly with the salary offer,” Kolosov said.
